This was the question I asked as a teenager at a Wednesday night fellowship gathering at church. The pastor responded by saying, “To bring glory to God.” I didn’t quite understand his answer. It wasn’t until years later that I realized the problem wasn’t in his response; it was in my understanding of the word “glory.” Glory is one of the most common words in Scripture, but I didn’t really know what it meant.
Glory– 1. High renown or honor 2. Magnificence; great beauty 3. Praise, honor or distinction. In Scripture, the word “glory” indicates something of weight or value.
Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians to do everything for the glory of God. He is getting at a lot more than simply praying before meals. In fact, Paul is urging us to have a complete change in attitude, living not for ourselves but for Christ. Even in the mundane, we give honor to God because He made all things and is in all things. The weight of His glory—the value of who He is—fills our hearts with praise.